In this podcast, we will speak with Allyssa Harpist, a teacher for students with visual impairments in the Urbana School District 116, and Hong Phangia Dewald, PhD, Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist, about strategies that can be implemented for children with visual impairments in inclusive early childhood classrooms.

Resources:

Teaching Students with Visual Impairments

ISVI Opening Doors

Family Connect

Seedlings

Perkins School for the Blind

Paths to Literacy

Hadley

American Foundation for the Blind

Exceptional Teaching Aids

Independent Living Aids

In this episode, we discuss the use of AI in preschool classrooms. We highlight some of the different tools out there, such as Large Language Models (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc) and MagicSchool.ai. We discuss ways to use these tools to support lesson planning, classroom environments, IEP development, BIP development, and writing Social Stories. Take a look at the resources listed below to see examples.

Resources

Beginning of the Year Lesson Plan with Paraeducator Guide

Fire Drill Social Story - Text only

Planning Based on Classroom Picture of Materials

Preschool Teacher Persona Template

AI Can Save Teachers Time and Stress.

In this episode, we will discuss how Tania Swigart, a preschool itinerant teacher from Rantoul City Schools, transitioned into her new role within the district and what her daily interactions are like while pushing into the classroom to support students.

Resource

Resource Guide for Early Childhood Collaborative Itinerant Teaching Model

In this episode, Deb Shirley, Instructional Coach from Adams Early Childhood Center in Lincoln, Illinois, will discuss with us the ways she engages students by making stories come to life through storytelling, puppets, and role-playing.

Dr. Lindsay Meeker and Dr. Kimberly Coy discussed the inspiration and importance of Dr. Coy's new book, "Mia with Dyslexia", which aims to provide a realistic portrayal of dyslexia and promote inclusivity in classrooms. They also discussed the challenges faced by individuals with dyslexia and other disabilities, the importance of learning in different ways, and the significance of children experiencing a range of emotions. The conversation ended with the announcement of the upcoming release of Kimberly's book, "Andy with Autism".

For a copy of Dr. Kimberly Coy's Book, click the link below.
Mia with Dyslexia

Join us as we meet with Kylie (OT), Alisha (PT), and Sidney (SLP) to discuss navigating different therapeutic solutions for helping children be successful in day-to-day life and in academic settings! This conversation dives through differences parents might see in school therapies versus outpatient therapies and gives concrete examples parents and educators can use to embed individualized supports for children in day to day routines.

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html

In this episode, we are joined by Stephanie Mader, an Early Childhood Special Education teacher in Rock Island’s School District 41 who works as an itinerant teacher with the local Head Start program. She shares how she builds relationships and collaborates with the Head Start Teachers as well as how the Head Start teachers support her work with the children in their classrooms.

In this episode, we are joined by Jen Mohr a PFA teacher from Rock Island School District 41. Today we are going to talk about Jen’s experience in creating an interactive and engaging writing center in her preschool classroom.